Same principle just different mechanics and assumptions.

I can't work (very effectively) in two places at once, so I don't need robust merging, just CYA synchronisation. Using only rsync features I can do a full 2-way rsync merge and catch potential conflicts, erring on the conservative so I have reasonable confidence I don't lose any work.

Minimal workstation dependencies: only bash, encfs, rsync, ssh, coreutils/findutils and optionally atd for automation. encfs is optional, too.

Instead of dvc-autosync and XMPP I just use periodic execution. I partition my stuff into smaller/high-frequency vs larger/lower-frequency to keep this efficient. These are triggered from bash (PROMPT_COMMAND, in the background) and recursive at (atd).

The local data is unencrypted on disk from this tool's POV. I use encfs --reverse and rsync the result. To browse the history, I combine sshfs with encfs in forward mode.

Linux only because that's what I use, but it should be possible to support OSX.

All in all I'm pleased I'm able to use such minimal tooling for such a successful result.